Who is the woman in The Scarlet Letter?
Hester Prynne
In Puritan Boston, Massachusetts, a crowd gathers to witness the punishment of Hester Prynne, a young woman who has given birth to a baby of unknown parentage. Her sentence required her to stand on the scaffold for three hours, exposed to public humiliation, and to wear the scarlet “A” for the rest of her life.
What did Hester Prynne look like?
Hester is physically described in the first scaffold scene as a tall young woman with a “figure of perfect elegance on a large scale.” Her most impressive feature is her “dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam.” Her complexion is rich, her eyes are dark and deep, and her regular …
Why does the woman clutch the baby to her chest as she stands before the crowd?
Why does the woman clutch the baby to her chest as she stands before the crowd? She holds the baby close because there are women in the crowd reaching for the baby. She clutches the baby tightly because of motherly affection. She clutches the baby close to help cover up what is on her dress.
What page is this quote on let her cover the mark as she will the pang of it will be always in her heart?
“Ah, but,” interposed, more softly, a young wife, holding a child by the hand, “let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart.” – Chapter 2, paragraph 5-6 Not everyone in the crowd wants to see Hester burn at the stake.
Is The Scarlet Letter A feminist novel?
The Scarlet Letter epitomizes the strength of women while also providing as an indicator for early feminism, as it’s profound perceptions were not something yet established in this earlier time period. The Scarlet Letter is indubitably a feminist piece of literature.
What did the girl do in The Scarlet Letter?
Fictional character overview Because Hester has no husband with her, she is imprisoned, convicted of the crime of adultery, and sentenced to be forced to wear a prominent scarlet letter ‘A’ for the rest of her life.
How is Pearl described in The Scarlet Letter?
Her personality is described as intelligent, imaginative, inquisitive, determined, and even obstinate at times.
What does the scaffold symbolize in The Scarlet Letter?
The scaffold plays a vital role in The Scarlet Letter. In the novel, it’s both the symbol of sin and shame, as well as the site of ultimate redemption.
What does the last line of the scarlet letter mean?
The novel ends with a symbolic epitaph from Hester’s grave, in the future. The last sentence reveals the words carved into her tombstone: “On a Field, Sable, the Letter A, Gules.” These words evoke a visual symbol of the rich brown, or sable, earth upon which a red, or gules, letter “A” sits.
How did the mother react to the Scarlet Letter?
She clutched the child so fiercely to her breast that it sent forth a cry; she turned her eyes downward at the scarlet letter, and even touched it with her finger, to assure herself that the infant and the shame were real. Yes these were her realities—all else had vanished! The Section Header button breaks up song sections.
Why did Hester Prynne wear the Scarlet Letter?
Her outfit, which she had fashioned for the occasion while in her cell, was extravagant in a way that seemed to reflect her reckless mood. But all eyes were drawn to the embroidered scarlet letter, which so transformed its wearer that people who had known Hester Prynne felt they were seeing her for the first time.
How is Hester described in Chapter 2 of the Scarlet Letter?
Excerpt from Chapter 2 of The Scarlet Letter, “The Market Place”. Hester’s, beauty, humility, and damaging pride come through in this description of her as she walks to the scaffold early in the novel. In demeanor and attitude, she reminds one of Hawthorne’s sketch of the Antinomian, Ann Hutchinson.
What does the young woman look like?
The young woman was tall, with a figure of perfect elegance, on a large scale. She had dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam, and a face which, besides being beautiful from regularity of feature and richness of complexion, had the impressiveness belonging to a marked brow and deep black eyes.